14/12/2023
December 14, 2023
Google tests ending third-party cookies in Chrome from January 2024, impacting 1% of users. This marks a shift towards enhanced online privacy and changes in targeted advertising.
With "Tracking Protection," Google will test the end of third-party cookies among 1% of Chrome users.
The deactivation of third-party cookies will be set by default for selected users, who will receive a notification to inform them. © Google
The end of third-party cookies, scheduled for the second half of 2024, is approaching. Google is preparing with full force to part ways with this fundamental web element for 30 years, used for tracking your activities on the Internet, notably for offering targeted advertisements and experiences. For this, the Mountain View company is testing the "tracking protection" on its web browser, Chrome.
On January 4, 2024, Google will begin testing a new tool called Tracking Protection. It aims to limit site-to-site tracking, "by restricting web sites' access to third-party cookies," Google's teams explain in a press release. This feature will be deployed on January 4, 2024, to 1% of Chrome users, for an initial public test phase.
This is a key step in our Privacy Sandbox initiative aimed at gradually phasing out third-party cookies for everyone.
The goal, of course, is to prepare for the definitive removal of third-party cookies during the second half of 2024, "subject to resolving any remaining concerns from the British competition and markets authority," Google cautiously notes.
Google explains that the 1% of users who will benefit from Tracking Protection will be "randomly selected. If you are chosen, you will receive a notification when you open Chrome on your computer or Android." The feature will then be activated by default on your browser.
Tracking-protection
A notification will alert of the availability of tracking protection. © Google
The firm also warns that access problems may occur. "If a site doesn't work without third-party cookies and Chrome notices you're having trouble (for example, if you refresh a page several times), we will offer to temporarily reactivate third-party cookies for this website from the eye-shaped icon on the right side of your address bar."
It is possible to disable the tracking protection from a dedicated icon. © Google
By deploying the first phase of this "more private web" desired by Google, the company simultaneously reassures businesses, to which it assures it will provide "the necessary tools to succeed in their online operations and experiences, so that high-quality content remains freely accessible."
